With the widespread advent of computers, particularly in classroom instruction situations involving a large number of computers, computer furniture/work stations have been the focus of a significant amount of design effort. Besides providing appropriate work surfaces for the users, it is important to design the furniture units to specifically accommodate individual computers and related equipment. Typically, the furniture units are designed specifically for computers, as well as printers and other peripheral equipment, with appropriate accompanying work spaces. Side panels, back panels and drawer pedestals are also usually part of such designs.
Typically, such furniture units are designed to be stand-alone, but also usually can be used together in different system arrangements, depending on the needs of the users or the design of a particular computer lab. Often, however, once a particular computer lab installation is made, involving a particular arrangement of various computer furniture units, it is difficult and time-consuming to change the arrangement to a different system configuration. Also, due to the design of the individual units, the possible system arrangements are usually quite limited. A typical installation might thus include rows or lines of stations, which is suitable for one particular type of instruction. Such an arrangement is often not satisfactory, however, in other types of instructional situations, nor does it provide for group/collaborative learning. In addition, an instructor may, for various reasons, wish to reconfigure a particular arrangement, such as changing from a "row" to a "cluster" configuration. Different teachers may also want different arrangements. Existing systems do not permit such ready flexibility.
Thus, there is a continuing need for a system of computer furniture which is configured, constructed and designed so that units of different configuration, which serve different specific needs, can be conveniently grouped or arranged, and then regrouped, into a variety of different system configurations, depending upon the particular needs of the actual users at a particular time.